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tsakiris@ics.forth.gr, http://www.ics.forth.gr/~tsakiris

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, 28 2004
 The course - Main topics

Biological paradigm Tools

Reptile/eel/worm z Mechanics
undulatory locomotion z Control
z Neural control

Insect flight control z Information processing

based on vision
Eusocial insect cooperation
(EMDs, visual motion, )
z Sensor-based behaviors
(centering, homing, )
z Multi-robot behaviors
(formations, swarming, )
z Learning/evolution

Mathematics tools: Linear algebra, ODEs,

Computational tools: Matlab/Simulink,

Dr. Dimitris Tsakiris, Institute of Computer Science - FORTH

tsakiris@ics.forth.gr, http://www.ics.forth.gr/~tsakiris
 Multi-robot systems

Advantages:
Improved performance (parallelism, divide-and-conquer)
Task enablement (impossible tasks for single robot)
Distributed sensing
Distributed action
Fault tolerance (agent: redundancy, reduced complexity)

Disadvantages:
Interference
(blockage, collisions w/ other robots, reduced free space)
Communication problems (cost, robustness, amount of info)
Uncertainty about other robots
Design of teams
(level of individuality/autonomy, task suitable for multi-robot?)

Dr. Dimitris Tsakiris, Institute of Computer Science - FORTH

tsakiris@ics.forth.gr, http://www.ics.forth.gr/~tsakiris
 Tasks for multi-robot systems

Foraging
(team carries home random items in environment)
Object transport
(several robots push/lift/carry an object)
Consuming
(robots work on objects in-place: assembly/disassembly
land mine field)
Grazing
(team covers a specific area
lawn mowing, vacuuming, SAR, surveillance)
Formation / Flocking
(team assumes specific / approximate geometric pattern
and maintains it while moving around)
Cooperative mobility/perception

Dr. Dimitris Tsakiris, Institute of Computer Science - FORTH

tsakiris@ics.forth.gr, http://www.ics.forth.gr/~tsakiris
Tasks for multi-robot systems:
Object transport

[Dorigo et al., 2004]

Dr. Dimitris Tsakiris, Institute of Computer Science - FORTH

tsakiris@ics.forth.gr, http://www.ics.forth.gr/~tsakiris
Tasks for multi-robot systems:
Object transport

Dr. Dimitris Tsakiris, Institute of Computer Science - FORTH

tsakiris@ics.forth.gr, http://www.ics.forth.gr/~tsakiris
Tasks for multi-robot systems:
Formations

[Balch & Arkin, 1999]

Dr. Dimitris Tsakiris, Institute of Computer Science - FORTH
tsakiris@ics.forth.gr, http://www.ics.forth.gr/~tsakiris
Tasks for multi-robot systems:
Formations

[Vidal, Shakernia & Sastry,

ICRA 2003]

Dr. Dimitris Tsakiris, Institute of Computer Science - FORTH

tsakiris@ics.forth.gr, http://www.ics.forth.gr/~tsakiris
Tasks for multi-robot systems:
Formations

Dr. Dimitris Tsakiris, Institute of Computer Science - FORTH

tsakiris@ics.forth.gr, http://www.ics.forth.gr/~tsakiris
Tasks for multi-robot systems:
Formations

Dr. Dimitris Tsakiris, Institute of Computer Science - FORTH

tsakiris@ics.forth.gr, http://www.ics.forth.gr/~tsakiris
 Tasks for multi-robot systems:
Cooperative mobility

[Dorigo et al., 2004]

Dr. Dimitris Tsakiris, Institute of Computer Science - FORTH

tsakiris@ics.forth.gr, http://www.ics.forth.gr/~tsakiris
Tasks for multi-robot systems:
Cooperative perception

Dr. Dimitris Tsakiris, Institute of Computer Science - FORTH

tsakiris@ics.forth.gr, http://www.ics.forth.gr/~tsakiris
 Characteristics for multi-robot systems

Reliability
Agents predisposed to work together
(no interference, messaging capability,
swarm formation capability-grippers)
Social organization
Multi-level hierarchies (ant castes)
Flat single-level structures (schooling fish)
Dynamic loosely structured mobs (wallabies)
Dominance systems (fowl: roosting place competition)
Communication
Information content, usually low bandwidth
Mode: chemical, bioluminescence, reflected light, tactile, echolocation, electric,
Spatial distribution
Congregation
Colony is predefined meeting place, distinctive calls for assembly, help,
Performance
Measures: task speedup,

Dr. Dimitris Tsakiris, Institute of Computer Science - FORTH

tsakiris@ics.forth.gr, http://www.ics.forth.gr/~tsakiris
 Characteristics of teams

Size
Composition
Homogeneous (ants, swarm robotics)
Heterogeneous (marsupial robots,
reconfigurable robots, cooperative mobility)
Reconfigurability
Communication
Range
Topology (broadcast, addressed, tree/graph)
Bandwidth (high/low/zero)
Structures (via environment/sensing/communication)
Control (centralized/decentralized)
Cooperation (active / non-active)
Goals (same goal for all / individual goals)
Programming (behavior-based, reactive, hybrid)

Dr. Dimitris Tsakiris, Institute of Computer Science - FORTH

tsakiris@ics.forth.gr, http://www.ics.forth.gr/~tsakiris
 Social learning

Tasks involving learning:

How to self-organize over time
How to become more cooperative over time
Basic forms:
Imitation
Social facilitation
(behaviors become more effective due to social interactions,
Non-greedy strategies beneficial to society, maybe not to individual,
Develop social rules transending individual agents goals)
Strategies:
Reinforcement learning
(min. agent interference, max. societys reward)
Learning by imitation
(observe other agent / encode its actions / reproduce its actions)

Dr. Dimitris Tsakiris, Institute of Computer Science - FORTH

tsakiris@ics.forth.gr, http://www.ics.forth.gr/~tsakiris
 Adaptation: learning / evolution

Adaptation in different time scales

Evolution:
adaptation to slow environmental changes
encompassing many generations
operates on the genotype
Genetic algorithms / evolution strategies / genetic programming
Learning:
adaptation to relatively fast environmental changes
operates on the phenotype
Supervised/unsupervised learning, reinforcement learning,
learning by imitation

Learning may help/guide/supplement evolution

Design of controllers for e.g. robot formations

Dr. Dimitris Tsakiris, Institute of Computer Science - FORTH

tsakiris@ics.forth.gr, http://www.ics.forth.gr/~tsakiris
 This part of the course:
Main references

M.A. Arbib, Ed., The Handbook of Brain Theory and

Neural Networks, The MIT Press, 1995.
R.C. Arkin, Behavior-based robotics, MIT Press, 1998.
R. Murphy, Introduction to AI robotics, MIT Press, 2000.
R. Pfeifer and C. Scheier, Understanding Intelligence,
The MIT Press, 1999.
----- : In university library
----- : Not in university library

Dr. Dimitris Tsakiris, Institute of Computer Science - FORTH

tsakiris@ics.forth.gr, http://www.ics.forth.gr/~tsakiris